Effects of long-term storage on highbush blueberry (Vaccinium Corymbosum L.) antioxidant quality
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2015
Citazione:
Effects of long-term storage on highbush blueberry (Vaccinium Corymbosum L.) antioxidant quality / G. Cocetta, I. Mignani, A. Spinardi. - In: ACTA HORTICULTURAE. - ISSN 0567-7572. - 1071(2015), pp. 477-482. ((Intervento presentato al 11. convegno International controlled and modified atmosphere research conference tenutosi a Trani nel 2013.
Abstract:
Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is a fruit crop rich in antioxidants.
The quality of this fruit and the content of health-promoting compounds are
influenced by many factors, such as environmental conditions, genetic diversity and
degree of maturity at harvest. Blueberry has often been reported to be a highly
perishable fruit, thus its commercial value could be strongly affected by storage
conditions. After harvest, blueberry quality and product losses are mainly due to
dehydration, weight loss, shrivel and fungal spoilage. Little is known so far about the
effects of long-term storage on the antioxidant components of blueberry. We
investigated the effects of two different conditions of controlled atmosphere (CA1:
4 kPa O2 plus 10 kPa CO2; CA2: 1 kPa O2 plus 9 kPa CO2) on a mid/late season
blueberry cultivar (‘Legacy’) during long-term storage, by measuring the incidence
of decay, total polyphenols, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins and the antioxidant
capacity using the DPPH˙ radical-scavenging assay. Sampling was for a period much
longer than normally expected for storage of this product. Controlled atmosphere
unexpectedly did not retard decay. During storage an irregular pattern was
observed in the levels of total polyphenols, but at the end of the trial, the content had
not changed, with respect to the beginning, in the control and CA2 stored samples.
The content of total flavonoids and total anthocyanins changed in a similar way
during storage and no marked effect can be linked to any gas composition. In
conclusion ‘Legacy’ blueberry fruit demonstrated stability in quality attributes and
marketability during the whole cold storage period (almost 5 months). ‘Legacy’
appeared to be a rich source of phenolic compounds.
Among the different applied CA conditions, CA2 was slightly more effective
in maintaining high levels of flavonoids and anthocyanins.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
Anthocyanins; Antioxidant quality; Controlled atmosphere; Polyphenols; Vaccinium corymbosum
Elenco autori:
G. Cocetta, I. Mignani, A. Spinardi
Link alla scheda completa: